Jan 14, 2001 NBA BASKETBALL
on InsideHoops.com - - - - -
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Sizing
up the Midwest
By BEN C
San
Antonio Spurs: The
Good: Sean Elliott came back from the kidney transplant and decided
to play another season. He may not be putting up the numbers he used
to, but it’s still great to see him out there.
The
Bad: Tim Duncan’s numbers are at career lows. Is the injury
he sustained last year still nagging him? Hopefully for the team
it’s just a slow start and he’ll end the season strong.
The
Ugly: The injuries to Avery Johnson, Jaren Jackson, and now Sean
Elliott and Malik Rose.
Team
Award: Goes to Steve Kerr for showing all the ordinary looking
white guys out there with no muscle tone who sit behind a computer everyday
and spend their Thursday mornings talking by the water cooler about the
latest Survivor episode, that there is one of them out there who can hit
the big shot to win the game.
Dallas
Mavericks: The
Good: They’re playoff bound. It’s possible that they can
be a top 4 seed if they continue to play well. This can be attributed
to the continued emergence of Dirk Nowitzki and the fine play from Steve
Nash, who seems to have finally blossomed at point guard.
The
Bad: The bench seems a little thin. Other than Hubert Davis
they aren’t contributing much. They desperately need Gary Trent to
come back from injury (and not come down with another one afterwards).
They were expecting more out of Christian Laettner.
The
Ugly: The Center position. They are going to have to battle
hard in the playoffs if they don’t make a trade to upgrade the position.
The platoon of Shawn Bradley and Christian Laettner is going to be rough.
Team
Award: Goes to Mark Cuban for being an owner who actually gives
a damn about the team.
Utah
Jazz: The
Good: After a recent skid where the team lost five games in a
row, they’ve won their last two and are only 3.5 games out of the battle
for the top spot in the West. Donyell Marshall is starting to get
into better shape and is learning the offense. If he can start to
get more playing time and contribute, the Jazz will have another weapon.
The
Bad: Karl Malone’s play of late. Of course some will say
it’s due to old age finally catching up to him. Talk has been of
an injury that is nagging him. That’s all nonsense. Karl’s
human, he’s going to have a bad stretch, but he’ll be fine in the long
run.
The
Ugly: John Starks’ suspensions. He’s back on a winning
team, isn’t he supposed to be happy now? He needs to get back out
on the court and improve his 39% shooting.
Team
Award: Goes to Olden Polynice for creating this headline, twice:
“Olden Polynice arrested for impersonating a police officer.” Thank
you so much for that Olden. Really, I can’t thank you enough for
the laughs.
Denver
Nuggets: The
Good: Antonio McDyess. He’s putting up insane numbers while
leading the team to a winning record. Not to be overlooked is Voshon
Lenard, who was added in the off-season and has contributed a valuable
shooting touch to the outside.
The
Bad: Their road record and inability to stop teams on defense.
If they want to earn a spot in the playoffs they will need to improve on
their 6-11 road record and stop yielding 99.7 points per game, the second
highest in the league.
The
Ugly: The players threatening to revolt against Coach Dan Issel.
If this team expects to go anywhere in the future they have to trust their
coach and he has to be able to trust them.
Team
Award: Goes to Rocky the Mountain Lion, the team mascot.
Mascots are very underrated.
Minnesota
Timberwolves: The
Good: Despite the Joe Smith fiasco, the T’Wolves continue to
win games and could possibly see themselves in the playoffs once again
this year. The best part of this team is that we, the fans, will
get to see Kevin Garnett continue to play for the next 12-15 years.
When he is done he will be one of the greatest big men to ever play the
game. Not enough can be said about him as a person as well.
The
Bad: Their future. They are capped out, so the only way
they can build their team is through the draft. Yep, their picks
got taken away for the next 5 years. Ugh.
The
Ugly: See above.
Team
Award: Goes to the front office for not using their heads.
Kevin McHale, shouldn’t you have known better?
Houston
Rockets: The
Good: Houston looks like it could put up a .500 record in the
competitive West this season behind the play of their stellar guard duo,
Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley.
The
Bad: Someone please tell Hakeem Olajuwon to hang it up.
He’s one of the best centers in the history of the game, but he no longer
has it. His last two seasons have been miserable and it’s painful
to watch him play.
The
Ugly: A 6’9” 260 pound starting power forward averaging 5.6 rebounds
per game. Come on Maurice, the starting point guard is grabbing more
boards than you.
Team
Award: Goes to Moochie Norris. There’s really no reason
behind handing this award to Moochie. I just like saying "Moochie."
Vancouver
Grizzlies: The
Good: Um, well, at least they aren’t as bad as Chicago or Washington
- yet.
The
Bad: Shareef trade talks continue. Why trade away your
best player? Just to do something? Look at the roster; do they
really expect to be winning anymore than they are?
The
Ugly: The $2.50 tuna on rye that I’m currently eating is more
exciting (and more useful) than their $15 million center combination of
Bryant Reeves and Ike Austin.
Team
Award: The “What the Hell Are You Doing?” award goes to head
coach Sidney Lowe for limiting Stromile Swift to a measily12 minutes per
game. Let the kid play already. The #2 overall pick has to
have more talent than Othella Harrington.
